IF YOU GO
What: ‘Take the Mic’ poetry slam
Where: Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center
When: Today, 7:30 p.m.
How much: Free

Giles Li, a nationally known poet and activist, searched Syracuse University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs for a fellow poet who was known by the stage name ‘Blackman Preach.’

The OMA workers looked around, puzzled by the name. No one had any clue what Li was talking about until someone said Blackman Preach was none other than Cedric Bolton, the coordinator of student engagement at OMA and the founder of Verbal Blend.

‘They had no idea,’ Bolton said.

This 2006 encounter was the beginning of a relationship between Li and Bolton. Verbal Blend, coordinated by Bolton, will host a guest performance by Li at today’s ‘Take the Mic’ poetry slam.

Verbal Blend is a spoken-word program for students to gain confidence in public speaking and writing. The slam will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center. More than 150 people are expected to attend, Bolton said.

Li and Bolton developed their relationship after mutual friends in the Minnesota and Chicago poet scenes suggested they get to know each other.

The poetry slam is the result of the success of another slam Verbal Blend hosted in October. Bolton said 178 tickets were sold for that event. Dr. James Duah-Agyeman, the director of OMA, was so impressed that he called for another slam to be held in the spring, Bolton said.

‘I was so excited I almost did a backflip,’ Bolton said.

Students Bolton encountered were also ready for another poetry event.

‘It was great to see their faces bubble with the great news,’ Bolton said.

Aaron Hudson, the master of ceremonies for the poetry slam and a senior information management and technology major, expressed his eagerness to host the event.

‘I like to bring poetry to people. I like to see a smile on their faces,’ he said. ‘Everybody has a story to tell, everybody. … Poetry is a way to tell a story.’

Christopher Alexander, a sophomore philosophy and English and textual studies major, will be a contestant at the event.

‘Whatever I perform, it has to be of a certain content in that due to the fact that poetry is meant to be shared, it must relieve, if that makes sense,’ he said. ‘I want them to think about it’

A panel of five judges, including Li, will decide what score to give the 17 competitors. Most of the poets competing are SU students, but there are also a few members from the Syracuse area, Hudson said. The judges will rate the contestants on a scale from zero to 10.

After the first round, the field will be whittled down to the seven contestants with the highest scores. Li will perform his poetry in between the first and second rounds. The second round will bring the field down to the final three contestants, who will be given first, second and third place based on the judges’ scores. The winners will receive notebooks and other school supplies from University Bookstore and prizes from the Bank of America.

‘The littlest thing can inspire me. It could be anything from a conversation with a friend to an experience or even just a passing thought. But regardless of what inspires it, its purpose remains the same,’ Alexander said.

Hudson said the main inspiration for his poems comes from his 7-year-old daughter. He also emphasized that despite the name ‘poetry slam,’ the event will be about showcasing poetic talent, not bringing down other poets.

‘It’s not necessarily about battling each other,’ he said. ‘It’s not about who can make the other feel worse’

Both Hudson and Bolton mentioned that Verbal Blend is all about equipping participants with confidence and skills in public speaking and writing.

‘I’ve always been a shy person,’ Hudson said. ‘It’s something that, actually, I’ve had to get over.’

But Verbal Blend also does more than poetry slams. The program has collaborated on events with the R.A.P.E. Center, Light Works studio, Literacy Corps and Syracuse University Press.

Liz Olsen, a freshman English and textual studies major, said she thought the event was interesting but would probably not attend because she appreciates poetry in the written form more than in the spoken form.

‘It’s a smart way to get people interested in poetry to experience it,’ Olsen said. ‘I think people who don’t normally read poetry out of a book would go.’

ajswab@syr.edu

Published on April 21, 2010 at 12:00 pm